Indrhi and CAF advance with Alto Mao canal project

Statement by the Presidency of the Dominican Republic

September 5, 2024

Santo Domingo.- The National Institute of Hydraulic Resources (Indrhi) received a mission from the Development Bank of Latin America and the Caribbean (CAF), with whom it is advancing the preparations for the financing of the Alto Mao canal project, in the Valverde province, which is already in the design stage and which plans to impact the irrigation of some 250,000 cultivated tasks and incorporate another 23,850.

Olmedo Caba Romano, executive director of Indrhi, explained that they are currently evaluating the details of the project, which includes a 32-kilometer-long canal to carry 10 cubic meters per second from the Monción dam's counter-reservoir to the Cana Chapetón municipal district , in the Guayubín municipality, Santiago Rodríguez. The work will guarantee gravity irrigation in an area of 39,845 tasks currently irrigated, which will result in significant savings in production costs by eliminating the need to use pumps.

He also highlighted the dissemination of legal, financial, bidding and budget aspects for the different project activities, as well as actions related to the conservation of the basin, sanitation of the Mao River and the Mao-Gurabo canal, as well as the training and strengthening of the irrigation boards of the affected districts.

The CAF offered to finance the construction of the Alto Mao canal with USD 250 million , contributing the sum of USD 800,000 for the design phase, through non-reimbursable technical cooperation , which is underway and is expected to be delivered at the end of this year .

Raúl Pérez, director of Planning and Water Development of the entity, said that the CAF mission spent two days in the country where it met with Indrhi and the General Directorate of Public Credit of the Ministry of Finance to finalize details of the presentation of the offer.

Participating on behalf of CAF were José Luis Jara, Project Evaluation Coordinator; Cristian Grisales, Climate Action and Biodiversity Specialist; Raúl Caldevilla, Water and Sanitation Specialist; and Zulay Latorraca, Environmental and Social Affairs Specialist. Daniel Cabrales, representative of the office in the country; Roberto Agostini, senior executive, also from the office in the country, and Jorge Escurra, Irrigation Specialist, were present remotely.

Also present from Indrhi were directors Juan Saldaña, from Planning and Institutional Development; Naomy Recio, from Human Resources; Fausto Moquete, from Acquisition; and the managers, Juanito Montilla, from the Department of Services to Irrigation Users; María Dileidy Pérez, from Environmental and Risk Management; the coordinators, Romer Polanco, from Regulation of Hydraulic Works; Fausto Colón, from Risk Management, and the Project analyst, Diandra Lora.